Growth hormone treatment improves final height and nutritional status of children with chronic kidney disease and growth deceleration

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Optimize the Care of Transitioning Adolescents and Young Adults with CKD

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with CKD or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) have unique medical, dental, psychosocial, neurocognitive, and academic needs and require close interdisciplinary collaboration to optimize their care. The etiology of CKD in AYAs is diverse compared to older adults. With their continuously improved survival, AYAs must start preparation for health-care transition (HCT) from pediatric- to adult-focused health care in the pediatric setting and it must continue at the adult-focused setting, given that their brain maturation and self-management skill acquisition occur until their mid-20s. While the growth and physical maturation of most visible body parts occur before 18 years of age, the prefrontal cortex of the brain, where reasoning, impulse control, and other higher executive functions reside, matures around 25 years of age. The HCT process must be monitored using patient- and caregiver-measuring tools to guide interventions. The HCT process becomes more complex when patients and/or caregivers have a language barrier, different cultural beliefs, or lower literacy levels. In this article, we discuss the unique comorbidities of pediatric-onset CKD/ESKD, provide information for a planned HCT preparation, and suggest interdisciplinary coordination as well as cultural and literacy-appropriate activities to achieve optimal patient outcomes.

The use of prohibited substances for therapeutic reasons in athletes affected by endocrine diseases and disorders: the therapeutic use exemption (TUE) in clinical endocrinology

To protect sporting ethics and athletes' health, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) produced the World Anti-Doping Code and The Prohibited List of substances and methods forbidden in sports. In accordance with the International Standards for Therapeutic Use Exemption (ISTUE), to avoid rule violations and sanctions, athletes affected by different endocrine diseases and disorders (e.g., adrenal insufficiency, diabetes, male hypogonadisms, pituitary deficit, thyroid diseases, etc.) who need to use a prohibited substance for therapeutic reasons (e.g., medical treatments, surgical procedures, clinical diagnostic investigations) must apply to their respective Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) to obtain a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), if specific criteria are respected. The physicians who treat these athletes (i.e., endocrinologists, andrologists and diabetologists) are highly involved in these procedures and should be aware of their specific role and responsibility in applying for a TUE, and in adequately monitoring unhealthy athletes treated with prohibited substances. In this paper, the prohibited substances commonly used for therapeutic reasons in endocrine diseases and disorders (e.g., corticotropins, beta-blockers, glucocorticoids, hCG, insulin, GnRH, rhGH, testosterone, etc.), the role of physicians in the TUE application process and the general criteria used by ADO-Therapeutic Use Exemption Committees (TUECs) for granting a TUE are described.

Summary of Expert Opinion on the Management of Children With Chronic Kidney Disease and Growth Failure With Human Growth Hormone

Background: The management of children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and growth failure candidate for recombinant human growth hormone therapy (rhGH) is based on an appraisal of the literature established on a 2006 consensus statement and 2019 Clinical practice recommendations. The performance of these guidelines has never been tested. Aims: The objective of this study was to establish the level of adherence to international guidelines based on the 2006 consensus and the 2019 criteria that lead to the initiation of growth hormone treatment by both pediatric endocrinologists and pediatric nephrologists. Methods: A multidisciplinary team of pediatric endocrinologists and pediatric nephrologists, members of the Italian Society of Pediatric Endocrinology or of the Italian Society of Pediatric Nephrology, discussed and reviewed the main issues related to the management of pediatric patients with CKD who need treatment with rhGH. Experts developed 11 questions focusing on risk assessment and decision makings in October 2019 and a survey was sent to forty pediatric endocrinologists (n = 20) and nephrologists (n = 20) covering the whole national territory. The results were then analyzed and discussed in light of current clinical practice guidelines and recent recommendations. Results: Responses were received from 32 of the 40 invited specialists, 17 of whom were pediatric endocrinologists (42.5%) and 15 pediatric nephrologists (37.5%). Although all the centers that participated in the survey agreed to follow the clinical and biochemical diagnostic work-up and the criteria for the treatment of patients with CKD, among the Italian centers there was a wide variety of decision-making processes. Conclusions: Despite current guidelines for the management of children with CKD and growth failure, its use varies widely between centers and rhGH is prescribed in a relatively small number of patients and rarely after kidney transplantation. Several raised issues are not taken into account by international guidelines and a multidisciplinary approach with mutual collaboration between specialists will improve patient care based on their unmet needs.